Texas Man Admits To Hate Crime In Setting Fire To Playground At Islamic Center

[meegbear]

A Texas man pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime charge on Wednesday, admitting that he set fire to playground equipment at the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center in Arlington in July 2010.

Henry Clay Glaspell, 34, pleaded guilty in federal court in Fort Worth to violating federal hate crimes laws by damaging religious property, the Justice Department announced in a statement.

Glaspell, DOJ said, "admitted that he set fire to playground equipment at the mosque as part of a series of ethnically-motivated acts directed at individuals of Arab or Middle Eastern descent associated with the mosque.

"Glaspell further admitted that he stole and damaged mosque property, threw used cat litter at the front door of the mosque, and shouted racial or ethnic slurs at individuals of Arab or Middle Eastern descent at the mosque on multiple occasions," DOJ said in a statement.

A photo released by the Arlington Police Department shows the damage the playground equipment sustained. Jamal Qaddura, a spokesman for the Tarrant County Muslim community, told the Star Telegram that parents are still reluctant to take their children to the playground and that cameras caught Glaspell painting what the newspaper dubbed "sexually suggestive pictures that were labeled 'Uncle Sam' and 'Allah'."

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http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/texas_man_admits_to_hate_crime_in_setting_fire_to.php?ref=fpb

[gratuitous]

1. Gee, I wonder what Mr. Glaspell's viewing habits were?

Did he have a favorite TV show?

[Deep13]

2. What an asshole! Thanks Feds for getting him off the street.

We can't go easy on terrorists, you know.